8 Filthy Jokes Hidden in Ancient Works of Art

Dedicated medieval monks would spend years over work in dimly lit scriptoria, slaving to produce stunning illuminated manuscripts, illustrating the world's knowledge. With the limits of their work & their religious vows, the monks needed an outlet. They came up with marginalia, which are doodles at the edges of manuscripts. They are irrelevant to the text & completely screwed up. We assume that the monks either thought nobody would ever notice or they just didn't give a shit.

Detail of a miniature of a human-headed satanic dragon, representing the papacy of Urban VI whose election was contested and resulted in the appointment of the anti-pope Clement VII, from Joachim de Fiore’s Vaticinia de Pontificibus, Italy (Florence), 2nd quarter of the 15th century, Harley MS 1340, f. 8r